RANDOLPH - When Heidi Boser caught the bridal bouquet at her college sorority sister's wedding, she never dreamed she would one day marry the man that caught the bride's garter.
After commuting three and a half hours from Ohio to Pennsylvania for two and a half years, the couple were married.
"We're blessed," said Heidi's husband, Gary.
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Gary and Heidi Boser are the owners of Peaches N Cream Store in Randolph.
Heidi is employed at American Refining Group in Bradford, Pa., as a human resources generalist. Together, she and Gary are owners of Randolph Peaches N Cream Store. Peaches N Cream is aptly named, since produce, ice cream and many other things are sold there.
"We are entering our third season in Randolph," Heidi said. "All of the recipes are made from products that are sold at our store, with the exception of the Buckeyes. I had to include them since I'm from the Buckeye State of Ohio."
"I've been doing this all my life," added her husband. "Actually, I'm the third generation. My grandfather started a fruit market in Bradford, which was passed down to my dad and his brother, which was passed to me and my brother. My children did not want to follow in my footsteps, so I went after my dream, Randolph Peaches N Cream, a produce market that sells ice cream."
"I have a lot of family here and I have sold Easter and Mother's Day flowers in Randolph for 26 years," he said. "Four of my cousins are part of our tea - Dakota, Cheyanne and Santana France, and my left hand that runs the business when I'm away, Terri O'Neill. Other team members are Jake Skudlarek, Amanda Muntz, Nick Milliman and Hope Ruth."
"They are the reason our store runs so well," Mrs. Boser added. "They all work hard and have dynamic personalities, which shows in their customer service."
Peaches N Cream starts out the year by opening the week before Easter, selling Easter plants. Hanging baskets and perennials are added before Mother's Day, with cemetery urns, bedding and vegetable plants, seeds and onion sets available for Memorial Day.
Once the local harvesting season begins, everything is locally grown. This includes strawberries, sweet corn, peaches and peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and broccoli, as well as cauliflower, onions, plums, nectarines, cantaloupes and watermelons. Pumpkins, gourds, hardy mums and several varieties of apples are sold in the fall. Corn stalks and painted pumpkins are also available.
Wreathes, poinsettias, and Douglas and Frazer firs are sold beginning in late November. All trees have a fresh cut and are drilled and straightened and can be used in any tree stand. Last year, the business began selling a unique style of Christmas tree stand, which literally takes just seconds to install the tree.
Another holiday item that is available is their Amish gift baskets These typically include noodles, licorice, jams, dry soup and dip mixes and chocolates, but can be customized to the customer's liking.
Although the business is relatively new to the area, the Bosers have gained many local food establishments as wholesale customers. They also sell poinsettias to local churches.
Future plans include the construction of permanent greenhouses this summer and something exciting that the owners are not quite ready to reveal.
Peaches N Cream is a dog-friendly business that serves free ice cream to their customers' dogs, with built-in feeding stations that Boser constructed under some of the tables. Other customer perks are the free baby-sized cones given to mothers and fathers on their special holidays, as well as the free cones that are given to students at the end of the ice cream selling season.
'We will be hosting our third annual summer cruise-in on Aug. 25 featuring area entertainment, such as Rainbow the Clown, the Lake Effect Band and cars from Frewsburg Classic Car Club," Mrs. Boser said. "We'll have bounce houses for the kids and a chicken barbecue by East Randolph Fire Company. This has been a great community event. The proceeds for the barbecue goes to ERFC and all entertainment is free. It's an opportunity for us to give back to the community of Randolph who welcomed us with such opens arms."
The couple attends East Randolph United Methodist church, where Mrs. Boser sings in the choir. She also enjoys reading, baking and knitting, when she finds time. Gary shoots sports clays and skeet and enjoys hunting birds, skiing and fishing.
They have two sons and a 1-year-old grandson, as well as a brittany spaniel and a golden retriever.
"The tomato pie recipe was shared with me from my college friend, Michelle Sischo, who grew up in Ellicottville," Mrs. Boser said. "Our college was in Ohio and I remember traveling home with her on a few occasions to Ellicottville and driving right through Randolph. Who would have thought that 20 years later, I'd be living right here!"
"The easy hot pepper jam appetizer is always a hit and is made super easy with country kettle hot pepper jam, which we also sell," she added.
The Hungarian stuffed peppers recipe was given to Boser after a customer brought the prepared dish for him to try.
"They are awesome," he said.
"My sister-in-law, Maribeth, always makes the sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving," he said. "I made it for Easter and everybody loved it."
Randolph Peaches N Cream is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. They close an hour earlier after Oct. 1. The web address is www.randolphpeaches.com.